10 die of TB every day in Delhi, finds NGO

Highlights

Nearly 47% of the deaths are of people in the productive age group of 15 to 44 years,

From January 2014 to December 2016, Delhi reported more than two lakh TB cases,

TB is a contagious infection that usually attacks the lungs,

NEW DELHI: At least 10 people die every day in Delhi of tuberculosis, a curable disease, exposing a huge healthcare deficit in the national capital. Nearly 47% of the deaths are of people in the productive age group of 15 to 44 years.

“The actual number of deaths due to TB in Delhi could be much higher. Our data is based on deaths reported by hospitals which constitute only about 60% of all deaths. Also, hospitals run by the Centre and private institutions are not included in this,” Milind Mhakse, project director of Praja Foundation, said. Rohini zone, in north corporation, was the city’s TB hotspot, accounting for 33% of all cases.

Praja Foundation said the Civil Lines zone reported 11% of all TB cases recorded by hospitals from 2014 to 2016, while Karol Bagh accounted for 8%.

The NGO said that from January 2014 to December 2016, Delhi reported more than two lakh TB cases — 73,096 cases in 2014, 83,028 in 2015 and 68,169 in 2016. The disease claimed 4,350 and 3,635 lives in 2014 and 2015, respectively. Data for deaths in 2016 wasn’t available, the NGO said.

TB is a contagious infection that usually attacks the lungs. It can also spread to other parts of the body, like the intestine and spine. Caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, the disease spreads through the air, just like a cold or flu.

Dr Sarman Singh, professor and head, division of clinical microbiology and molecular medicine at AIIMS, said lack of awareness about the disease was a major reason for high incidence of TB and related deaths.

“In India, three persons die due to TB every two minutes. It remains a public health challenge in spite of 50 years of control activities. There is an urgent need to step up the campaign for awareness about the disease’s symptoms to ensure timely diagnosis and treatment,” he said.

Experts say emergence of drug resistant TB was another area of concern. A recent study covering four metros found close to 9% of all paediatric TB patients were resistant to rifampicin, one of the first-line drugs used in treating infectious diseases. TB incidence, the survey found, was highest among children in Delhi at 12.2% and the least in Chennai at 5.4%.

Doctors say incidence of drug resistance in children suffering from TB has gone up. “Children mostly get the infection from adults. If we can reduce the incidence of TB among adults, the incidence among children will come down significantly,” said a doctor.

The doctor also busted a common myth about TB affecting mostly the poor. “We get many people from well-todo families suffering from TB,” the doctor added.

A senior official in the Union health ministry said government is preparing a national strategic plan for ending TB in the country by 2025. “We are expanding the rapid diagnostic services to all districts for timely diagnosis. Also, we will step up awareness campaigns,” he said.

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